The Camp

Introduction

Episodes of M*A*S*H were filmed at two locations. There was the enormous outdoor set, originally built for the MASH film, located at the former Fox Ranch at the Malibu Creek State Park in California, and an indoor sound stage at the 20th Century Fox studios (specifically, Stage 9). Believe it or not, some outdoor scenes that were actually filmed at the Stage 9 sound stage, with large painted backdrops simulating the mountainous skyline of the outdoor set. Fans have long loved to argue about the layout of the 4077th, particular the details of how so many rooms could fit into the hospital building and how the interior sets matched the exterior of the building on the outdoor set.

Stage 9 Sound Stage – From “Making M*A*S*H”

Some sets and locations only appeared a handful of times, like the kitchen or the minefield. I believe the camp library only showed in “M*A*S*H – The Pilot” during Hawkeye’s pursuit of Lieutenant Dish. Most scenes took place in only a handful sets: the Swamp, the O.R., post-op, the company clerk’s office, the commanding officer’s office and the mess tent.

Here are some of the best shots of the outdoor set:

“Henry, Please Come Home”

“Private Charles Lamb”

“Commander Pierce”

“Point of View”

“Point of View”

“Point of View”

“Point of View”

Maps

A number of maps of the 4077th have been drawn over the years, including one published in the February 28th, 1983 issue of Newsweek, which celebrated the series finale of M*A*S*H:

In 2007, talented M*A*S*H fan Jim Stevenson created a set of four maps/layouts. Two were of the outdoor set, one as it appeared in the M-A-S-H and another as it looked in the series. The third was a map of the Stage 9 layout and the fourth a map of the interior of the hospital building as seen on Stage 9. Jim graciously has allowed me to post these here:

Tents/Buildings

Here’s a look at the bulk of the buildings and tents seen in M*A*S*H:

The Swamp

Ah, the Swamp. Home to the surgeons of the 4077th, this tent was one of the cornerstones of the camp. When the series began, the Swamp bunked four surgeons: Hawkeye, Trapper, Frank and Spearchucker. After Spearchucker was written out of the series, only three surgeons were typically bunking in the Swamp. B.J. moved in when Trapper left and Charles when Frank left. Several times the screen walls were torn down or run through and the tent entirely collapsed on occasion.

Left: Outside the Swamp, from “Temporary Duty”; Right: Inside the Swamp, from “Goodbye, Farewell and Amen”

The Operating Room (O.R.)

The O.R. was where the action happened, where the doctors and nurses of the 4077th performed meatball surgery in a desperate attempt to save lives. Wounded soldiers (and at times civilians) were brought in on stretchers and placed on one of several operating tables along the center of the room. Powerful lamps overhead — when working — illuminated the broken and battered bodies of the wounded and allowed the doctors to see what they were stitching together.

Left: “Movie Tonight;” Right: “O.R.”

The Post-Op Ward

After surgery, patients were brought to the post-op ward to recover. A long room with beds on each side, it was staffed by nurses and a doctor on duty round the clock.

Commanding Officer’s Office

Originally Henry’s office, and later Potter’s, the commanding officer’s office (what a name) is where all manner of important paperwork is signed and important calls are made. Generals and colonels are brought to the C.O.’s office to meet the man in charge of the 4077th. There is also a cabinet full of booze, under lock and key, plenty of file cabinets, a big ole desk and when Potter was there, plenty of paintings on the walls.

“Dear Dad, Again”

Camp Office

The managerial center of the 4077th, the camp office was the only connection to the outside world via the telephone. Run by the company clerk (first Radar and then Klinger) the office received the mail, housed the P.A. system and kept an assortment of military and medical records. It was also where the company clerk bunked. It is connected to the commanding officer’s office and the post-op ward.

Left: “Life with Father;” Right: “Goodbye, Farewell and Amen”

Officers’ (And Enlisted) Club

The Officers’ Club was donated to the 4077th after Hawkeye and Trapper operated on and saved the life of a general’s son (in “Officers Only“). Initially, it was reserved just for officers but Hawkeye and Trapper managed to throw open the doors to the club for the whole camp. In addition to a bar, the club holds a piano, several tables, a pinball machine and a jukebox.

Left: “Bottle Fatigue;” Right: “Officers Only”

Mess Tent

The mess tent was the main congregating area of the 4077th, large enough to comfortably hold the entire population of the camp (supposedly). Although primarily a dining hall, the mess tent was also used as a chapel (where Margaret was married), a movie theater, a bowling alley and an all-purpose party area.

Left: “The Smell of Music;” Right: “Movie Tonight”

Kitchen

Rarely seen, the kitchen is most likely connected to the mess tent in some fashion. Food — or what passed for food at the 4077th — was prepared at the kitchen and served to the camp at the mess tent. Lots of large pots and pans and bowls and ladles.

Left: “The Party;” Right: “The Life You Save”

Scrub Room

Prior to entering the O.R. every doctor would methodically scrub their hands and arms before donning gloves, masks and the rest of their surgical garb. Located adjacent to the O.R., the scrub room had two large sinks, hooks on the walls for uniforms and various medical supplies.

Left: “O.R.;” Right: “Officers Only”

Commanding Officer’s Quarters

The commanding officer of the 4077th (first Colonel Blake and then Colonel Potter) needed his own private quarters where he could get away from the troubles of command and, in Henry’s case, occasionally entertain a pretty nurse for an evening.

“Divided We Stand”

Margaret’s Quarters

As head nurse, Margaret was afforded her own tent, which was good, because it gave her and Frank a chance to be alone. On the door was a sign with her name and the phrase “KNOCK BEFORE ENTERING.”

Left: “Movie Tonight;” Right: “Bottoms Up”

Father Mulcahy’s Quarters

Father Mulcahy, in his role as the camp’s priest, needed a place where he could talk one-on-one with troubled souls. His door was always open and anyone in need of counseling was free to drop by, anytime. The sign on the door was shown both above and below the screen window, depending on the episode.

Left: “Life with Father;” Right: “The Army-Navy Game”

Klinger’s Quarters

Why Klinger would be fortunate enough to have his own tent is a mystery — but plenty of episodes showed him in his own quarters. Maybe nobody else would bunk with him. In any case, Klinger’s quarters were full of his dresses, a sewing machine and other assorted Klinger oddities.

“Deluge”

The Camp Library

Only seen in “M*A*S*H – The Pilot,” the camp library was, as the name suggests, a tent housing a variety of books for use by the members of the 4077th.

“M*A*S*H — The Pilot”

X-Ray Room

Whenever a broken bone or misplaced shrapnel was suspected, wounded were rushed to the x-ray room for a dose of radiation. Often Klinger could be seen rushing into the O.R. with a freshly developed x-ray of a patient currently being operated on.

Left: “Love Story;” Right: “Officers Only”

Nurses Quarters

Only four occupied this tent at any given time — and there were more than four nurses on staff at the 4077th. So where do they bunk?

Left: “Hot Lips is Back in Town;” Right: “Who Knew?”

Supply Tent

Sometimes a tent, sometimes a hut, this was supposed to be nothing more than storage but it was often used as a private place for a date. Trapper and Margaret were once trapped inside while the camp was being shelled.

Left: “Wheelers and Dealers;” Right: “Bombed”

Ladies Showers

It seems unlikely that the 4077th would have two shower tents, so odds are when the ladies wanted their turn in the showers they simply put up a sign to keep all the men out — except the ones they wanted inside.

Left: “Requiem for a Lightweight”; Right: “Divided We Stand”

Camp Showers

Despite the fact that early episodes showed the nurses having their own “Ladies Showers” (see above), later episodes saw a single set of showers with marked times for “Males” and “Nurses.”

“Deluge”

Latrines

The camp latrines were a dangerous place to visit — over the years they were blown up, dragged away and run over by a tank. All in all, not the safest building in the compound.

Left: “The Sniper;” Right: “The Light That Failed”

V.I.P.’s Quarters

Very Important Persons visiting the 4077th were often bunked in the V.I.P.’s quarters so they could have a little privacy.

“Operation Noselift”

Motor Pool

The motor pool: where the jeeps and ambulances are kept — and taken apart and put back together — when not in use. During the last four seasons or so, Rizzo was in charge of the motor pool.

Left: “Wheelers and Dealers;” Right: “The Life You Save”

Animal Hutch

Radar kept a menagerie of little critters on camp, including rabbits and guinea pigs, all housed at the camp’s animal hutch.

“They Call The Wind Korea”

Bulletin Board

Located outside the camp office, the bulletin board was used to announce movie screenings, post important happenings, and even by Hawkeye to get a date. And, for some reason, ladies underthings were often pinned to it.

Left: “Taking the Fifth;” Right: “The Sniper”

Garbage Dump/Trash Depot

A camp the size of the 4077th generates an awful lot of trash and not all of it can be dropped on annoying colonels. The rest of it has to go somewhere and that somewhere is either the trash dump or the garbage depot, depending on the episode.

Left: The trash dump, from “Goodbye, Farewell and Amen;” Right: The garbage depot from “The Life You Save”

The Minefield

Supposedly in place to protect the 4077th from attack (one would think), the minefield caused more than its fair share of problems. In “Kim,” a young Korean boy wandered into the minefield and when Trapper ran after him, they both had to be saved by a chopper. Still, Hawkeye was known to bring a pretty nurse to the minefield for a date — it was, after all, a very isolated place.

Left: “Kim;” Right: “M*A*S*H — The Pilot”

Chopper Pad

There are actually two chopper pads, one upper and one lower, both located on a hill near the rest of the compound. Doctors, nurses, orderlies and corpsman would quickly bring the wounded to surgery, via jeeps and ambulances. The chopper pad was also the scene of several farewells: its where Henry was last seen alive, where Margaret left for her honeymoon, and where Hawkeye said his final farewell to B.J. and the 4077th at the end of the war.

Left: “Out of Sight, Out of Mind;” Right: “Goodbye, Farewell and Amen”

Rosie’s Bar

Although technically not part of the camp proper, Rosie’s Bar was heavily frequented by members of the 4077th, visiting soldiers, and recovering wounded.

“A Night at Rosie’s”

Image Credits:

1 Scanned from the February 28th, 1983 issue of Newsweek (Page 47).2 Scanned from the “M*A*S*H — Binding Up the Wounds” booklet.

It bothered me that no one had 1950’s hair styles, or orher little nuances reminiscent of rhe 1950’s. Also, in the OR, when the rib spreader was used, there was no loud cracking sound which would have been very audible.

Yeah and where did all the other G.I’S bunk?officer mess but everyone else ate there. And for a big unit they only had 4 surgeons?1 Christmas with Henry Blake and I believe 3 with potter that’s 4 years I counted and the real war lasted only 2 I believe.

I always found this funny:
When the CIA bomb needed defusing, or when gunshots were heard, the head surgeon and his sidekick (basically half of the surgical staff) were always the ones ordered to go “check it out”.
Once, Colonel Flagg, a violence loving intelligence officer, offered to find and shoot someone, only to have Hawkeye decline the offer and do it himself.

We still watch all the old episodes through dish . It’s still an amazing show. We are grateful to have these shows to watch . This weekend is the MASH marithon . Our favorite characters are Hawk and B.J.

I spent more time watching MASH than I would have spent on two tours of duty in the army and probably learned twice as much. I’m doing a 3rd tour of dutynow with re-runs. It’s comfort food for the psyche.

I SAW THE ORIGINAL MASH MOVIE IN THE THEATER. THEN STARTED WATCHING MASH THE SERIES BECAUSE MY UNCLE NICKY WAS KIA IN THE KOREAN WAR, AND I HAVENT STOP WATCHING IT SINCE. ITS THE GREATES SITCOM EVER & ALLWAYS WILL BE. GO ARMY!

GREAT HIKE & SCENERY ON THE WAY TO THE SET, GLAD I WENT. IT WAS A 1NCE IN A LIFE TIME MUST SEE FOR ME. IT WAS A GOOD CHANGE OF PACE WITH ALL THE PEACE & QUIET OF THE SITE. ANY MASH FREAK SHOULD GO SEE THE SET THAT MADE SITCOM HISTORY, IT WILL MAKE HISTORY FOR YOU, THE MASH FOLLOWER

I was just watching Welcome to Korea. When Hawkeye and BJ go to Rosie’s, the Sign says “Rose Bar”, which I think I’ve seen before. But there’s another sign, made of corrugated tin also, that says “Goldie’s”. Another bar? In the scene with Hawkeye, BJ and Radar, there’s a fight going on where “Goldie’s” would be, there’s a fight going on. In the future, this was just another part of Rosie’s. Any other time the mysterious “Goldie’s” was shown?

Goldie’s would most likely be where the “business girls” were located. If you catch my drift? That back room was also shown in an episode where Klinger plays in a floating crap game and is used as a temporary tattoo parlour (although we never see inside in that episode.)

My daughter and myself will be making a trip out to Malibu creek state park in august of next year. Im so excited. I cant wait to see where MASH was filmed. Just hope we don’t get lost. I know i’ll be able to feel the spirit of all those who worked there.I also hope there will b no more fires.

My kids don’t get it. When MASH re-runs are on they groan and I have to bail and hit the basement screen to get my fix. MeTV has them on daily and Sundance has weekend marathons. I’ve heard that as humans we actually benefit from watching re-runs, it releases feel-good and comforting brain chemicals. Something about subconsciously feeling secure in knowing what’s coming. Anyway, I still to this day occasionally see an episode that has parts I don’t recall and I’ve been watching for 43 years.

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